It seems the year has a few different starting points. There is the traditional January 1-New Year’s Day-make all your resolutions start. Then there is the Sept 1-Back to School time where everyone seems to get back into a regular school and work routine. Then there is April. The beginning of spring and, for me, the start of training season.
That is not to say that I am inactive during the winter months. On the contrary; this is the time of year I perfect some serious couch surfing with thrice weekly gym workouts. I shift from my normal swim, bike, run regimen to yoga and weight training with some occasional treadmill runs and indoor cycling.
My pattern of training/working out starts to wane after the traditional Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. As the cold really starts to settle into the Northeast I, like the animals, start to hunker down in my cozies and start the long wait for warmer, sunny days.
Ironically, in the Northeast, and particularly on Cape Cod, warm, sunny days are not the norm in April but the anticipation of them is always high! After many days indoors and boring gym workouts (yes, boring, despite all the blogs and attempts to give us runners tips on how to make the treadmill fun and interesting) I am beyond anxious to get out and run, bike and swim in fresh air and sun.
This year I watched the weather like a hawk and if it was even remotely close to 50 (and sunny) I planned a run or bike ride. Fifty degrees may seem like a high bar for most diehard athletes but for me it is the spot where I can be outdoors, for an extended period of time, and not have my fingers and toes go white and numb.
So April, while cool and rainy did offer up great days for runs and biking. And the best part of that is the trails were near empty except for the few random dog walkers. By the time April neared to a close I felt I had my outdoor routine back in place and my drive for race success was back.
Now for the hardest part. Pushing myself in May to be in top condition and ready for a fun triathlon season.